AU adopts historic document on refugee protection

October 24, 2009

African leaders attending the Oct. 22-23 African Union (AU) special summit on refugees adopted here on Friday the AU Convention for the Protection and Assistance of Internally Displaced Persons in Africa, a historic legal instrument to address the plight of refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs).

The two-day summit also witnessed the signing of the Kampala Declaration on Refugees, Returnees and Internally Displaced Persons in Africa.

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, who closed the two-day meeting, said the convention is important for the millions of Africans who have been uprooted from their homes by conflicts and natural disasters.

He appealed to African governments to sign and ratify it so that the plight of internally displaced persons (IDPs) who could engage in the economic development of the continent is addressed.

Zambian President Rupiah Banda said the signing of the convention is a demonstration of the leaders' commitment to ensuring that as they tackle competing developmental issues, those displaced are not forgotten.

He said the challenge now is to ensure the implementation of the provisions urgently so that the displaced persons can enjoy their rights.

"The task ahead is to ensure that IDPs enjoy these rights by implementing the provisions of the convention with urgency," he said.

Julia Dolly Joiner, the AU commissioner for Political Affairs, urged the African states to translate their intention of solving the refugee and IDPs problem into action by speedily signing and ratifying the convention.

"This will be the most visible demonstration that member states are prepared to move beyond intention and rhetoric into visible action and in the immediate future will provide much hope to the millions of displaced in our countries and communities," she said.

Leaders or senior representatives from 46 AU member countries attended the special summit. Under the newly-adopted convention, states agreed to cooperate while addressing the root causes of forced displacement.

They agreed to establish high-level national mechanisms to address the problem of forced displacement.

They also called for an end to external interference such as the support for mercenaries and sponsoring of armed groups that have fueled conflicts on the continent, uprooting millions of people from their homes.

The summit is designed to find out root causes of forced displacement in Africa, and is expected to boost inter-country coordination in protecting and assisting those displaced population, estimated at over 17 million on the continent.

Source: People's Daily.
Link: http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90777/90855/6792769.html.